Scottish Overseas Trade, 1275/86-1597
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SCOTTISH OVERSEAS TRADE, 1275/86-1597 by Martin Rorke Ph.D. Thesis The University of Edinburgh 2001 DECLARATION I declare this thesis has been composed by myself, and the research on which it is based is my own work. Martin Rorke ii ABSTRACT SCOTTISH OVERSEAS TRADE, 1275/86-1597 Custom records have long been recognised as an invaluable aid in the study of overseas trade. In Scotland these records have survived virtually intact from the middle of the fourteenth century, and their importance is magnified considerably owing to the limited number of alternative sources relating to trade. Moreover, they are the only long-term quantitative source relating to the economy of medieval and early modern Scotland. In previous work on the Scottish custom accounts little attention has been given to their reliability as export figures, while those export figures which have been presented have tended to be limited in coverage and lacking in precision. As a result, it is impossible to establish accurately either the long-term or short-term trends in Scottish overseas trade. This thesis examines the customs administration, looking at the extent and changes in the custom jurisdictions, the export locations, the incidence of smuggling and embezzlement, clerical mistakes made during the compilation of the accounts, and the customing procedure for each major commodity- wool, woolfells, hides, cloth, fish, salt, coal, lead, re-exports, and English imports. This analysis determines the value and limitations of the custom accounts as evidence of exports. For the first time, therefore, together with consideration of these findings, export figures, in both tabular and graphical form, are presented, for each year from 1328 to 1600: export figures are given for each commodity and total trade, for each custom jurisdiction and for the whole country. Finally, with the aid of the export figures, the trends in Scottish exports are discussed, and compared with the situation that pertained in England. It is hoped that this thesis will further the study of European trade, and be a significant tool for the examination of the medieval and early modern Scottish economy. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My research on Scottish overseas trade was generously funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. I would like to thank the staff of the National Archives of Scotland for their helpful, friendly, and efficient service. I would also wish to express my gratitude to the members of staff in the Departments of Economic and Social History and Scottish History, University of Edinburgh, and in particular my second supervisor, Professor Michael Lynch, for their encouragement and valuable advice over the years. My fellow postgraduates, Ann McCrum, Evan Jones, Kino Iwazumi, Gayle Davis, and Kevin James, have been an enormous help academically and socially. Philip, Vicky, Maggie, Anne, Annie, Elaine, and Martin have been more helpful than they can possibly imagine. The supervision I received from Professor Ian Blanchard has been inspirational. Ian’s knowledge and insight are incomparable and he has offered countless important suggestions. He has been more than generous with his time and advice, yet has also afforded me the opportunity to begin to develop my own thoughts and ideas. My biggest debt of gratitude is to my mother, Mrs Molly Rorke. Not only has she encouraged and supported me but she has also made many valuable contributions to this thesis, both historically and stylistically. For these reasons this thesis is dedicated to her. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x List of Maps ...................................................................................................................... xii Abbreviations and Conventions ....................................................................................... xiii Introduction ...................................................................................................................... xiv A. GENERAL CUSTOM ADMINISTRATION Chapter 1. The History and Development of the Custom System, 1275/86-1597 ........ 2 Chapter 2. Custom Administration and Procedure ...................................................... 20 Chapter 3. Custom Jurisdictions .................................................................................. 47 Chapter 4. Movement of Customed Goods between Jurisdictions .............................. 98 Chapter 5. Smuggling and Fraud: the Level of Custom Abuse ................................. 123 B. COMMODITY CUSTOM PROCEDURES Chapter 6. Wool, Woolfells, Hides, and Miscellaneous Fells ................................... 139 Chapter 7. Cloth and Miscellaneous Manufactures ................................................... 165 Chapter 8. Salmon ..................................................................................................... 182 Chapter 9. Sea Fish .................................................................................................... 197 Chapter 10. Salt ........................................................................................................... 214 Chapter 11. Coal .......................................................................................................... 232 Chapter 12. Lead and Lead Ore ................................................................................... 238 Chapter 13. Corn, Butter, Tallow, and Flesh ............................................................... 251 Chapter 14. Re-exports ................................................................................................ 271 C. INFERENCES Chapter 15. Scottish and English Export Trends, 1300-1600 ..................................... 301 Chapter 16. Conclusions: The Limitations and Values of the Custom Records ......... 319 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 327 v VOLUME II APPENDICES Appendix 1. Custom Tables ......................................................................................... 336 Appendix 2. Commodity Export Tables ....................................................................... 486 Appendix 3. Export Graphs .......................................................................................... 616 Appendix 4. Corrections to the Enrolled Accounts ...................................................... 736 Appendix 5. Seasonal Variations in Trade ................................................................... 775 Appendix 6. Custom Duties ......................................................................................... 777 Appendix 7. Estimates of Non-standard Measures....................................................... 780 Appendix 8. Stulling, Banned, Forbidden and Licensed Goods ................................... 785 Appendix 9. Custom Leases ......................................................................................... 791 Appendix 10. The Customs Administration and English Import ................................... 798 Appendix 11. Table of Scottish Produce Exported Yearly, 1611-14 ............................. 812 Appendix 12. Organisation of the Sea Fisheries ............................................................ 815 Appendix 13. Lawlessness in the Western Isles ............................................................. 819 vi LIST OF TABLES CHAPTER 3 Table 3-1 Salt Customs at Culross, Edinburgh, and Inverkeithing, 1573-82 ............. 68 Table 3-2 Descriptions of the Northern Custom Jurisdiction, 1481-1513 ................. 85 CHAPTER 4 Table 4-1 Stirling, Linlithgow, Inverkeithing’s Customs to Edinburgh, 1328-29 ... 104 Table 4-2 Cockets Received at Linlithgow, 1382-1403 ........................................... 105 Table 4-3 Lothian, Upper Forth and Fife Exports via Edinburgh, 1590-91 ............. 109 Table 4-4 Lothian, Upper Forth and Fife Exports via Edinburgh, 1594 .................. 109 Table 4-5 Lothian, Upper Forth and Fife Exports via Edinburgh, 1596 .................. 109 Table 4-6 Banff to Thurso Exports Via Edinburgh, 1511-96 ................................... 115 Table 4-7 North West Exports Via Edinburgh, 1511-96 .......................................... 115 Table 4-8 Aberdeen Exports Via Edinburgh, 1511-96 ............................................. 115 Table 4-9 Goods Via Edinburgh Compared to Edinburgh’s Exports, 1511 ............. 119 Table 4-10 Goods Via Edinburgh Compared to Edinburgh’s Exports, 1513 ............. 119 Table 4-11 Goods Via Edinburgh Compared to Edinburgh’s Exports, 1528 ............. 119 Table 4-12 Goods Via Edinburgh Compared to Edinburgh’s Exports, 1539 ............. 120 Table 4-13 Goods Via Edinburgh Compared to Edinburgh’s Exports, 1581 ............. 120 Table 4-14 Goods Via Edinburgh Compared to Edinburgh’s Exports, 1591 ............. 120 Table 4-15 Goods Via Dundee Compared to Dundee’s Exports, 1555 ..................... 121 Table 4-16 Goods Via Dundee Compared to Dundee’s Exports, 1576 ..................... 121 CHAPTER 6 Table 6-1 Edinburgh’s Hide Customs, 1559-66 ....................................................... 152 Table 6-2 Wool, Woolfell, and Miscellaneous Fell Exports, 1435 and 1437 .......... 155 CHAPTER 8 Table 8-1 Remissions on Aberdeen Salmon Customs, 1426-35